Literary Concepts
What is hierarchy and how does it apply to a text we've studied in class so far?
a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other.
*Answers will vary
Where is this quote from, and why is it important?
“I guess so. Anyway, all that means we’re two halves of the same woman—at least in his crazy head.”
Kindred
Alice recognizes that she and Dana are two parts to Rufus's perfect woman. Rufus uses Alice for her body and Dana for her mind. (Later, this distinction between the women will blur after Alice dies).
Are you a fan of Kevin? Why or why not? Provide details from the text to support your answer.
Answers will vary.
Who is Sophia Auld and what important lesson does Douglass learn from her?
What is she teaches Douglass that masters are made in that people learn to treat black people unequally? She also teaches him how to read.
What was Sand Creek?
From Sand Creek tells the story of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 in which volunteer American soldiers killed around 230 (mostly women, children, and the elderly) Cheyenne and Arapaho people. The text also juxtaposes Ortiz’s personal account as a soldier.
What is a dynamic character? Provide an example from a text we've studied so far.
Answers will vary.
Name a text we've studied in class so far and identify how it relates to the class's theme of social justice.
*Answers will vary.
What is the purpose of Butler’s Kindred? What does she want modern day readers to consider?
Not only the changes (progress) from the 1800s to the 1970s, but also the amount of work that still needs to be done.
The lasting impacts of slavery
How easily someone can adjust to injustices
Who is William Lloyd Garrison and why did Frederick Douglass include him in his narrative?
What is an abolitionists and to provide credibility to his story?
What are you thoughts on the ending of From Sand Creek? Why does the speaker in Ortiz's collection continue to identify so strongly with being American?
*Answers will vary.
What is the timeline for slave narratives? How does this fit in with a text we've studied so far?
Loss of Innocence: Awareness of what it means to be a slave
Realization of alternatives to bondage: The determination to be free
The Escape
Freedom Obtained
What are the parts of close reading? Why do we close read?
What is
Helps with critical thinking; Allows room for interpretation; Aids in determining what the text says explicitly and making logical inferences from it; Can be used to cite specific evidence to support conclusions; Teaches how to seek out micro-levels of understanding
Detail one of Dana's ethical dilemmas. Why is this significant the progression of the plot?
*Answers will vary.
-Many situations regarding her and Alice and Rufus
-Teaching children to read
What is the difference Douglass notes between masters who grow up with slaves vs. those who rent them out.
What is those who rent them out (poorer people) have to prove that they are better than their slaves by being excessively cruel?
What is the form and/or style of From Sand Creek? What does this type of writing add to the story of Sand Creek?
Poetry; nonlinear storytelling; imagery; figurative language
Connection between peoples and events; adds aesthetic depth;
What is Chiasmus? Provide an example.
What is a figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point. Today, the term chiasmus may be applied to any “crisscross" rhetorical structure?
Example: "You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man."
Where is this quote from, and why is it important?
“And why...why was I so frightened now—frightened sick at the thought that sooner or later, I would have to run again? I moaned and tried not to think about it. The pain of my body was enough for me to contend with. But now there was a question in my mind that had to be answered. Would I really try again? Could I?...See how easily slaves are made? they said”
Kindred.
Slavery is the continual breaking down of a person...emotionally, physically, mentally, sexually until they give up and accept their condition due to fear of worse happening.
What is the role of literacy in Kindred?
-Dana's upper hand in that she knows how to read
-Dana reading to Rufus helps them grow closer
-Dana tries to teach Nigel and Carrie to read...later beat
-Reading provides education...realization that there's something else out there besides slavery
-Rufus lets his children and other children read after he accepts that he's their father
Who is Covey and what important lesson does he teach Douglass?
Who is a "slave breaker." He teaches Douglass that slaves are made (a mindset that must be resisted).
What are the connections Ortiz makes between Sand Creek and Vietnam (and other locations mentioned in the book)?
*Answers will vary.
-Attempts to hide U.S. history that might not look "good"; Internal colonialism; Practices in Africa are linked to Sand Creek and echo onwards to Vietnam
-Imagery of the basement: invisible and foundation; kept hidden; store things there with intention to reintegrate into "house"; forgotten
-Temporalities of the past, present and future
Define an allusion and provide an example of it in Kindred.
Many allusions to American history–Compromise of 1820, President John Quincy Adams, Denmark Vessey's rebellion, Nat Turner's rebellion, abolitionism, Sojourner Truth, California becoming a state, etc.
Biblical Allusions--Alice's children's names,
What is the significance of either "The Man in the Crowd" or "The Lottery" and how it applies to the theme of social justice
*Answers will vary.
Speaking up for others, injustice matters to some people only when personally impacted...
Pick a pair of characters from Kindred. What does Butler want readers to learn about their relationship?
Answers will vary.
Rufus and Dana; Rufus and Alice; Kevin and Dana; Dana and Margaret; Dana and Tom; Tom and Rufus; Nigel and Carrie, etc.
What does Douglass say about white Christians who condoned slavery? (This is a motif commonly found in Antebellum black literature).
What is they are the true "savages" and not the black slaves? Immoral, hypocrites
From Sand Creek's preface notes at least three intentions of the book. List two and its significance.
-Native Americans ignored from American history (invisible; excluded)
-Fights against this perspective and declares that America has wronged Native Americans
-America isn't allowed to forget; Native Americans haven't forgotten